Repression and Succession
by GIR's Infernal Waffles
Summary: When he was 12 years old, Dib met an alien- his mortal enemy; only friend; other half. But years of therapy have revealed all the memories to be mere fantasy; all the experiences mere delusion, produced by a lonely, unstable mind. His life is now on track at last, miserable though he might appear... and he isn't about to let the strange new student in his class wreck it all. ZaDr
1. A New Student in Class

**(A/N) I know I said I would finish JaHS first, but... I just couldn't wait, okay? I hit a wall and needed to work on something else for a few days... or weeks. … I'm sorry. orz **

**I... am super excited about this fic. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. ^^ **

**This is ****_post series. _****Everything in recorded canon did indeed happen, except for Invader Dib... which, in fairness, is pretty nebulous to be considered canon. More of the timeline will be revealed within the fic. **

**Yes, there are a couple curse words in this. It isn't peppered with profanity, but teenagers are inevitably going to cuss. Like Dib. When you piss him off. So... yeah, if you have issues with it, consider this your warning. **

**ZADR! Don't like, don't read. Or read and be converted. Reviewers loved, constructive criticism welcome, flames used to roast marshmallows. **

**Invader Zim and all characters portrayed belong to Jhonen. **

Dib's pencil tapped out an incessant pattern on his notebook as he stared with glazed eyes up at the whiteboard, the same posture adopted by many of his classmates. The difference, however, was that Dib's boredom was born of superiority, whereas the others were lost in a sea of their own stupidity. Dib could have taken the final for the biology class cold and still passed with flying colors- Hi Skool took no effort from him whatsoever. There was little in the way of stimulation for the boy at all, in fact; his father was away- and accordingly he was locked out of the lab -and his classes were all as dull as death; he had no friends to speak of and his sister wanted as little to do with him as was humanly possible. He was a very lonely child, though it never would have crossed his mind in so many words.

He had had a friend once, but that had only been an imaginary friend.

The hand that was supporting his head suddenly gave out and his elbow slipped, his face smacking the desk with a loud crash that drew snickers from the class. The teacher paid it no heed, for if her star pupil wanted to sleep through lecture, he was more than welcome to- it wouldn't affect his grades in the slightest. So Dib sighed, ignoring his peers and resettling with his chin on his folded arms.

"Today, class, we have a new student."

They were the first of the teacher's words that Dib made out, and his head shot up. The sentence rang in his ears, so similar to the one he had fabricated- had pretended to hear -back in second grade, back when he'd had his imaginary friend join his class.

_But this... isn't imagined...?_

He was about Dib's own height and had messy, dark brown hair that flipped up in the front and hung halfway down over his ears. He was dressed in a strange outfit, by all measures- a pink shirt with a lighter pink collar and cuffs rolled to his shoulders, as well as short, tattered black gloves. There was a haughtiness reflected in his purple eyes that made Dib shiver, and he gave the class a toothy grin.

"Greetings," the boy addressed his peers, bowing grandly and mockingly. His violet eyes scanned the room, and Dib felt sparks shimmy up his spine as they landed briefly on him. "My name is Mizredavni Nekri (I'm foreign). Please, refer to me as Miz."

"Tell us a bit about yourself, Miz," the teacher prompted, despite the class' snickering.

"Well, I just transferred here," the boy said, oblivious to the fact that he should have been embarrassed, "obviously. But I felt I should spell it out for such dumb creatures as this collection of humans. Speaking of which, I'm a perfectly _normal _human, in case you're wondering about such things." As he spoke, he ran one hand through his hair and Dib noticed- as did others -that his roots were dyed a neon green.

"Fascinating," the teacher droned. "Everyone be sure to be welcome Miz." With that and a quick order to the new boy to find a seat, she turned back to the whiteboard and resumed the drawling lesson.

Dib returned to his notebook, too, trying to convince himself that he wasn't caught up in a violent bout of déjà vu. _I... imagined it. The new kid in my 2nd grade class... never existed._ He was startled from his thoughts, however, by the scrape of a chair, and whipped his head up, shivering as he found a set of intense lavender eyes scarcely a foot from his own.

"Only empty seat," the new boy- Miz -said with a smirk, sitting down calmly. Dib, flustered, looked down.

"Whatever. I don't care where you sit," he muttered, and Miz chuckled.

"I think you do," he said shrewdly, leaning over so that he was halfway off his desk and onto his new neighbor's. "I am Miz. And you are called...?"

"... Dib," the boy replied warily, edging away from the stranger. "Man, you must really be new to the area- everyone knows me, 'cause I'm the son of Professor Membrane." That was why he had assumed Miz had chosen to sit beside him, when there were actually several open seats scattered about the classroom.

"Oh?" Miz asked, grinning slyly. "Well,_ I_ didn't know that. You? Son of that so-called scientist?"

"'So-called?!'" Dib demanded, almost bounding from his seat with indignation. But Miz only laughed, waving one hand.

"Yes, 'so-called scientist,'" he said again, chuckling. "I mean... he doesn't even believe in aliens!"

Dib felt a chill race up his spine, all but freezing him to the spot. The new boy continued, though, each of his words feeling like a punch in the gut to his listener. And as he spoke Miz's smile grew impossibly, seeming both delighted and sadistic at once.

"I mean, what man can call himself a scientist if he doesn't believe in the extraterrestrial? Furthermore, ghosts and the such? Who's to say that the paranormal doesn't exist? A scientist doesn't have that right! In fact, it should be the scientists of this filthy planet that are studying such things, preparing Earth's defenses for the coming invasion! Don't you think..." he paused, leaning in closer and raising his eyebrows, "... Dib_-stink_?"

"Aliens don't exist." The response was automatic- conditioned. It came out unhindered even though the poor boy's mind was whirling and his heart was leaking lifeblood from its seems.

Miz's face fell suddenly, his playfulness dissolving and replaced by a deep confusion. Then he snorted, turning away to hide the reaction. "Well... that explains a few things, human Dib."

"... It certainly does," Dib muttered, looking down. _It explains _away _the happiest time of my life, is what it explains..._

The lesson continued with neither boy speaking to the other; Miz stole glances at his next door neighbor quite frequently, but Dib was either oblivious or indifferent, and didn't react. When the bell rang Professor Membrane's son stood first, followed closely by the new boy, who bundled his books into his arms despite the large backpack he sported. Dib raised his eyebrows as he left, but that was typical new-kid behavior.

"Wait up, Dib!"

The teen paused at the shout, turning back to see Miz trotting to catch up with him, panting softly as he did so. It was then that Dib noticed, for the first time, the bandages swathed around the new boy's neck.

"What're those?" he asked scathingly. "Some new emo-boy accessory?"

Miz sniffed, turning his head. "Such a rude little creature you are," he spat, and then matched the subject of his words step for step.

Dib rolled his eyes, deciding with a shrug that losing the new boy would be more trouble than it was worth; they would go to separate classes soon enough anyway. But Miz kept pace with him, all the way to math class... where he was, once again, introduced as a new student, and then took his seat beside Dib.

"You know, the paranormal is a very interesting field of study," Miz said conversationally, as soon as the lesson had started. "I have a feeling the Dib would excel if that is what he chose to go into."

Dib bristled but didn't respond; it would have been far too painful to formulate words. But Miz didn't stop there, leaning halfway onto his companion's desk.

"There's this rumor about a coming alien invasion- that they're already among us. What do you think, Dib-stink? Do you think there are aliens walking among us?"

Dib bolted from his chair, sending it clattering backwards and attracting the whole class' attention. He didn't care about that, though, glaring down at Miz as though they were the only people in the room.

"What the hell, you... jerk?!" he screamed, his hands balling into fists. "Did you show up just to tear open old wounds?! Leave me the hell alone! Get lost!" Without pausing to see Miz's reaction, the boy stormed from the classroom, ignoring his teacher's objection. Slamming the door on the way out, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, turning his face toward the ceiling and trying to suppress the childish sobs building in his chest.

... ... ...

It took the rest of the day for Miz to find him again, but find him he did. Dib groaned at the sight of the new boy padding toward him, though evasive action would have been pointless at that point.

"Greetings, Dib-thing!" Miz said cheerfully, slapping him on the back of the head. Dib glared at the new boy as he pulled up next to him, but Miz only grinned wider.

"What did I tell you, Miz?" Dib sighed, turning and walking the other way. "Leave me alone."

"Quite a show the little Dib-stink put on in the classroom," the new boy commented, ignoring the rebuff. "Quite entertaining."

"You think that's entertaining, you jerk?" Rounding, Dib grabbed Miz's shirt, holding him up slightly. But the new boy was nearly the same height as him, and smirked around his hand.

"I've dealt with worse than _you_, little earth-monkey," he said assuredly. Huffing with annoyance, Dib released his grip and turned away; Miz followed, though, slipping around and planting himself in the other's path.

"The Dib likes my company," he asserted, and his listener snorted.

"What the hell are you smoking?" he snapped, making to push past his new classmate. But Miz slid one of his long fingers under Dib's rainbow-colored bracelet, using it to swing him back around; he twirled it for a moment before letting it snap against the boy's skin.

"It's clear as day that the Dib-stink has certain... preferences," he said teasingly, leaning in close so that his breath tickled Dib's ear.

The boy bristled and, without warning, smacked his classmate across the face, making his head snap violently to one side. But when Miz looked back up, he was smirking delightedly.

"Fuck off, Miz," the boy spat, grabbing his classmate's hair and jerking him upright. "I won't put up with it."

"Ooh, Miz is frightened!" the boy wailed sarcastically, then grinned sadistically. "The Dib-thing cannot resist my charms! What say you, Dib-stink? Miz shall take us for dinner tonight?"

Contrary to what anyone would have thought, that made Dib pause. With his father out of town, he and his sister had been subsisting on whatever canned food they managed to find in the cupboard, and restaurant food sounded awfully good- good enough, perhaps, to brave a night in the company Miz Nekri.

But no, he decided; nothing was worth braving the company of Miz Nekri.

"In your demented dreams, Miz. Go jump off a cliff."

... ... ...

The young boy leaned across the greasy counter, only to draw back in disgust as something mysterious and gummy stuck to his elbow. "Uh... yeah," he told the cashier, "I'll get a waffle burger, extra bacon but hold the pickles, large fries and a large chocolate shake." It was a splurge, considering the limited money that the great and frugal Professor Membrane had left his children to subsist on, but Dib didn't know if he could face another night of canned food. Not that fast food was much of a step up, but it was something.

"I'll have the same," an unexpected voice said from behind him, head popping into view over his shoulder. "And his is on me."

Dib spun- too late, for his impromptu companion switched sides, leaning on the counter behind his classmate's back. When Dib finally located the new boy, he was grinning from ear to ear, lounging back lazily across the counter.

"What the hell, Miz?" Professor Membrane's son demanded. "I can pay for my own food! I can pay for my own food," he added to the worker, who was beginning to look very confused.

"Allow Miz to pay for your foodstuffs, Diblet," the new boy said easily, waving his hand at the employee. "One bill, Miz will pay."

"Go away!" Dib snapped, only to realize how weak that sounded a moment later. "I mean... leave me alone, you jerk!" Then he rounded on the poor fast food worker, snarling, "Don't you _dare _let him pay for my food! I'll pay for my own damn food!"

Miz laughed loudly, then sighed. "Very well, very well," he said, shaking his head with a wry smile. "The Dib will pay for his own food, in accordance with his wishes."

Huffing with some small amount of victory, Dib turned his back on the new boy and dug in his pocket for his wallet, wincing slightly when he checked the blinking display on the cash register. _Damn... spending money I shouldn't _and _having to deal with Miz Nekri... yeah, stopping here was a _great _idea... _With a trace of confused apprehension, he searched his other pocket; then, his back pockets, and felt the blood drain from his face.

_My... wallet...?! I couldn't have... no, not now of all... _

"Problems, Diblet?"

"..."

… … …

"I'm paying you back, you jerk!" Dib was insisting loudly as he followed Miz across the restaurant, if only for the fact that the other boy was carrying the tray containing his food. "I don't care what you say, I'm cramming the money for that food down your throat whenever I find my wallet!"

"Psh, you should not turn your nose up at such things," the new boy replied, selecting a booth and slipping into it. "Miz has paid for your meal, and you should express your profound gratitude."

"Profound gratitude my ass!" the other boy hissed, but sat down across from his classmate anyway. He took his burger from the tray and watched as Miz did the same, then as the new boy picked a piece of bacon off and popped it neatly into his mouth. "Hungry?" Dib asked, irritated, as he spread his napkin over his lap.

Miz shrugged, repeating the action. "I had not realized it, but I did rather miss the disgusting slop that you call food." After a long moment of silence, the new boy ventured, "The Dib-stink has no boyfriend?" Dib shrugged reluctantly, prompting further questioning. "Why not?"

"I'm spoken for," was the gruff reply, and Miz stiffened.

"What what? You have no boyfriend, yet you are spoken for?! What is the meaning if this?" he demanded. When Dib didn't respond he stood, slamming his palms down on the table. "Miz demands answers! You will tell Miz of these things!"

Dib raised one eyebrow, unwilling to let the new boy make such a scene. "I don't have a boyfriend, but I do have certain... attachments." Miz's eyebrows twitched as he sat again, and Dib laughed despite himself. "Don't get so frazzled, Miz- the guy doesn't even exist."

Miz blinked. "Doesn't... exist...?"

"Yeah, he doesn't exist."

"So... you belong to one who does not exist?" the new boy asked hesitantly, leaning farther forward.

Scowling, Dib stood. "I'm gonna go wash my hands." Without waiting for his companion's response, he spun and stalked off toward the restrooms, vanishing inside. Once he hit the sink, however, he bent slightly over the porcelain and groaned, covering his face with both hands.

"Why did I admit that?" he lamented softly, letting one hand slide down to land heavily on the sink. "Am I really that stupid?"

Once he felt as if he could, the young boy made his reluctant way back to the table, finding Miz waiting. As he approached, however, he noticed something odd.

"Hey... why are you still wearing your backpack?"

Miz shrugged. "For one thing, it's a different backpack," he said, and then added, "It is... what you might call a security blanket for Miz, having a backpack on."

Dib grimaced. "That's weird as hell, Miz."

"Not really," the new boy countered. "Many humans have such quirks."

Sighing, the other boy slid back into his seat. "Fine, whatever. Like I care if you wear a backpack everywhere."

"The Dib must have a similar habit as well," Miz pressed curiously, but his companion only scowled.

"No I don't, actually." The trinket in Dib's pocket suddenly burned red hot, but he didn't flinch. Instead he tucked into his meal, desperate for an excuse to end the conversation. Deciding that the food just might be worth Miz's irritating and impossible-to-ignore presence after all, he made short work of the meal, as growing boys will. To his annoyance, Miz kept pace easily and finished at precisely the same moment, running an oddly pointed tongue over his lips.

"Did the Dib enjoy his meal?" the new boy asked, finishing his shake lazily and leaning back.

Dib glared back over the table, wiping his mouth on one sleeve. "Not nearly as much as I would have had there been anyone else in the _universe _sitting across from me."

"I disagree," Miz said authoritatively, leaning towards his companion obtrusively. "You enjoy Miz's company, you just do not realize it."

"_I _disagree," Dib ground out between gritted teeth. "You're an obnoxious _jerk_, arrogant and thick-headed. There is nothing, _nothing _redeeming about your company!" With that he stood stiffly, stalking toward the door, but yet again Miz followed.

"You walked here, yes? Let Miz offer a ride home."

"Fuck off, Miz."

Professor Membrane's son wasn't quite sure how he ended up in the passenger seat of the small, round car, but he was fairly certain it wasn't by his own volition.

Thankfully the ride was short enough, and Miz did not attempt to start a conversation; neither did Dib, for he spent the majority of his time plastered to the seat, terrified by his classmate's utter disregard for the rules of the road. But they pulled up in front of the Membrane residence in one piece, and the door slid open. Dib couldn't climb out fast enough.

But just as he was headed up the sidewalk, vowing not to spare a single glance backwards, something hit him squarely in the back of the head. Furious, he spun to shout something obscene at the receding car, but pulled up short when he saw what had struck him.

His worn leather wallet lay on the sidewalk at his feet, a cartoonish version of Miz's face scrawled on it's cover with the words, "_No need to thank me,_" scribbled beside it. And as he looked up, strangely less angry than he had been a moment before, he just caught sight of the new boy, hanging perilously out the window of his car to wave, eyes closed and tongue out.

And what Dib ended up shouting was, "Watch the road, you jerk! You're gonna crash, you know, and I _won't_ be at your damned funeral! You jerk..."

**(A/N) Please leave a review! They mean the world to me. ^/^ If you do, I'll give you a hint as to the next chapter~ **


	2. Rousing Old Ghosts

**(A/N) Chapter 2! Huzzah. I'm quite a fan of this chapter, actually. Even though Miz's brief flashes of sadness tug at mah fragile heartstrings... T^T Pretty long chapter, too… ;P **

… **I have a crippling soft spot for George, just so you guys know upfront. =w= **

**Note: "Jezus" is my clever way of portraying a character using the Lord's name in vain without violating my religion by actually using it. So it's not a typo, lol. **

**A million and one thanks to those who reviewed the chapter, namely "toolazytosignin," Flameear, Ultravioletlex, and prettykitty473! *passes out waffles* **

**Shout-out also to missfemke, zimvader0017, and blackwolfjashinist, who let me know they're reading/enjoying over dA! (*pokes* You guys... should review here. So I can thank you properly and give you hints. eue -shot-)  
**

**Without further ado, please enjoy chapter two of Repression and Succession~ **

"Let us go ghost hunting!"

Dib jolted upright, his eyes flying wide as he gasped awake. Groping for his glasses, he looked around frantically for the source of the voice. Finding himself seemingly alone in his room, he let out a tense breath.

"Great," he muttered. "Now I'm hearing things, too. It's all in my head, it's all in my-"

No sooner had he begun the mantra, however, then the shape swung down and into view, upside down and hanging by his feet from the rafters. Dib shrieked in alarm and jerked back, toppling from his bed as Miz began to laugh.

"Good morning, Dib-thing," the new boy said with a grin, and was promptly slapped.

"Good morning my ass!" Dib screamed, flustered and furious and befuddled. "How the hell did you get into my room?!"

Miz smirked, swinging casually from the ceiling by one foot. "There's a flaw in your security system- the motion sensors leave a five-by-three inch patch of roof exposed, and if you time it just right, you can use that as a stepping stone to reach the air vent right above your room."

Dib stared, opened-mouthed. _But... the only one... who knew about that... was..._ Shaking his head furiously to rid himself of that train of thought, he took what tried to be a menacing step forward- difficult, considering he was in baby blue pajamas and lime green fuzzy slippers.

"Get out."

"No," Miz replied simply, dropping down with a skillful twist to land, cross-legged, on his unwilling host's bed. "Let us go ghost-hunting together, Diblet."

Dib scowled and then bit his lip. "You just can't leave well enough alone, can you, you jerk?"

"Miz knows of an excellent place," the new boy urged, and then grinned. "Unless the Dib has grown frightened of such things as the paranormal?"

Professor Membrane's son snorted. "Not frightened- disgusted," he retorted, and Miz's face fell. Feeling oddly guilty, Dib pressed ahead. "Besides, Skool starts in an hour. We both need to get ready."

"Forget about the ridiculousness of Skool!" Miz Nekri snapped, rising. "Come with Miz, and we will see about these ghosts! Come, come!"

Screwing up his face, Dib acknowledged reluctantly that he wasn't about to get rid of his new classmate- and besides, he reassured himself, ghosts didn't exist. Therefore, there was zero chance of actually happening across one. With a resigned sigh, he shrugged.

"Fine, fine. What's the worst that could happen? But we _are _going to Skool," he added sharply. "You've got me for the hour, and then I'm out."

Miz chirped like an excited child, waiting impatiently as Dib got properly dressed and otherwise gathered himself. Taking longer than was strictly, Professor Membrane's son ran a comb through his doubled-jagged hair, slipping a battered t-shirt and jeans on in place of his pajamas. Then he reluctantly followed the new boy out his window, thinking only that he had better get a decent breakfast out of the early morning escapade.

To his surprise, Miz led him to an abandoned building that Dib knew all too well. He almost tried to back out as the new boy slipped between two rotting wooden boards plastered over the doorway. As it was he had a difficult time following, nearly getting stuck at least twice and finally managing to sprawl awkwardly into the dimly lit hallway.

"Jezus, Miz, are you like, anorexic?" he asked crossly, rolling his shoulders and rubbing his sides, pinched by the squeeze inside.

A flash of pain lit the new boy's eyes, but he quickly rid himself of it and said simply, "I'm more flexible than you, pitiful human."

Dib scowled and shrugged, glancing nervously around the shadowy hallways. Rifts of dust floated across the pockets of light, especially where he had disturbed them by his entrance, and the whole place smelled like he fancied the inside of a tomb might.

"I'm not so sure we should be here, Miz," he began uncertainly, and Miz snorted.

"Is my little Diblet scared of that which he used to seek?"

"I'm not scared!" the other boy snapped, but silently took that back when he saw that Miz slink farther down the hallway. The new boy used one hand to hold up what was literally a curtain of cobwebs as he peered into a long-abandoned classroom; Dib trotted silently after him, following a nervous compulsion to stay close to his companion- the only other _living _thing in the vicinity.

"Who do you think is lurking about?" Miz asked eagerly, ducking back out and moving on to the next door. "A bunch of the Skool admin went missing when this place was closed, right?"

Dib shifted nervously. "Ghosts don't exist, Miz."

"Nonsense, you speak nonsense," the new boy said, waving one hand thoughtlessly. Poking his head into another classroom, he grinned wickedly. "Here, this one. Follow Miz."

Dib started to object, but the other boy had already vanished. Scowling furiously- half to hide his nervousness -the son of Professor Membrane followed, lifting a sheet of cobwebs as he slid into the hauntingly familiar room.

Miz was in the center of it, arms spread, breathing deeply despite the dust. Then he weaved his way between the decaying desks, trailing his fingers fondly through their thick dust covering.

"Miz went here, for grade Skool," he commented, his voice heavy with nostalgic affection. "I am surprised that the Dib does not recognize me."

_... I didn't notice many people back then- many real people, at least._ Dib wanted to admit it, but instead he snorted bitterly. "I suppose you're one of the assholes who got off on giving me wedgies, huh? Think that makes you so memorable, do you?"

Miz looked hurt for a moment, but then shrugged and grinned, holding up his hands. "Miz did enjoy playing with the Dib's undergarments, guilty as he is charged."

Dib snorted, turning away. "Jerk," he muttered, but, oddly enough, he felt like he was forcing out the angry words- they didn't come naturally. "Fallen out with the cool crowd, huh? So desperate for friends you've turned to the freak you used to bully? Can't stomach being alone?"

Silence was the only answer he got- turning, Dib found the old classroom unexpectedly empty. Eyes widening with alarm, the boy spun; Miz was nowhere to he seen, and suddenly his final jab applied only to himself.

"Miz...?" he called hesitantly. "Hey, Miz...? Where'd you go...?"

No reply. Gulping, Dib tightened his jacket around his shoulders. The room creaked around him, the dust suddenly suffocating; a shiver ran up his spine.

"Th-this isn't funny, Miz...!" he called, unable to keep his voice entirely steady. _Ghosts don't exist, ghosts don't exist, ghosts don't exist..._

_"You're crazy!"_

_"Very good Zita- A plus."_

_"But that wasn't even a question..."_

Shaking his head to rid himself of the memory- trying desperately to convince himself that he _hadn't_ just heard the voices aloud -he backed up.

"M-Miz...? Miz, y-you jerk...! Miz, this isn't funny...!"

_"They called Galileo crazy!"_

Stomach flip flopping at the sound of his own ephemeral voice, Dib staggered back, hitting the rickety old teacher's desk at the head of the room.

_"Class, I would like to introduce the newest, hopeless appendage to the student body."'_

_"'I am a perfectly normal human worm baby."_

_"Am I the only one who sees the _alien _sitting in class?!"_

"Late again, Dib! And what is it this time? Vampire babies or bigfoot mailmen?"

Dib shrieked at the sound of the voice- most definitely not imagined. He started violently, trying to squirm out of his own skin as his heart convulsed. Spinning, he fully expected to see the horrible ghost of his old teacher- or perhaps she was completely unchanged, by some ghastly witchcraft.

But what he saw was Miz.

The new boy was leaning over the desk, grinning so widely that it looked as though his face might simply tear in half. Holding up his hands, he made a startling motion.

"Boo!"

Dib, trying to scream something angry but failing, stumbled backwards with one hand to his heaving chest. Miz laughed, eyes lit with humor, hopping fully out from behind the desk.

"The Dib should have seen his own face!" he snickered, and the scorned boy- burning with embarrassment and leftover fright -moved forward menacingly.

But before he could act, the siren pierced the air.

Flashing red and blue sliced through the boarded-up windows, setting Dib bristling and Miz, once again, laughing. Then the new boy was off, cracking through the boarded up window and leaping out the resulting hole.

"Come, my Dib! Now we make our escape!"

Panicked and unable to do anything but obey, Dib clambered out the window to find Miz waiting patiently for him, despite the clump of police officers approaching. Blood draining from his face, Dib started to rehearse his excuses- and his implications of Miz as the real troublemaker. Before he could throw the other boy under the proverbial bus, however, he was swept behind his would-be victim in a protective motion.

"You'll never take us alive!" Miz crowed and, in the same instant, there was a violent explosion of light and sound. The next thing that Dib knew, he was being swept along by strong arms, ushered down various alleyways as the policemen began to shout wildly. He felt himself thrust forward by one Miz Nekri with a fervent hiss of, "Run, Dib!" and, against his better judgment, he obeyed.

As his senses slowly returned to him, Dib swore loudly, aware of Miz laughing gleefully not a yard in front of him. "You jerk!" he wailed breathlessly as he ran. "Look what you got us into!"

Even the sirens couldn't drown out Miz's maniacal laughter, and his reply consisted of a thoughtless, "Lighten up!" tossed over his shoulder.

It wasn't as if the poor boy could do anything but follow his troublemaking companion and, to his credit, Miz managed to lose their law-enforcing tail after a few blocks. Pulling up, he stretched his neck and looked around, like a dog with its ears perked. Dib staggered to a halt beside him a moment later, breathing hard and half falling into the building next to him for support.

"Miz... you... kill... _shit_..." Unable to formulate a complete sentence, he gasped out various bits of thoughts at his companion before collapsing onto the ground, head swimming and heart racing. Miz looked down with some surprise, then crouched on his haunches- he was breathing normally, perfectly composed save for the mess his hair was in.

"The Dib is out of shape."

The young boy growled with indignation, making a swipe for Miz but missing. The new boy simply stood, skipping back a pace, and then offered his hand.

"Come, Diblet. Did you not want to attend your Skool? We will be late if we delay any longer."

Pushing himself up without his classmate's assistance, Dib brushed himself off. "I'm going _home_," he growled. "I'm going back to _sleep_. I'm forgetting that this morning ever _happened_."

The new boy's expression softened further. "I have upset my Dib. Miz is sorry, truly. It was all meant in fun."

"'Fun?'" Dib asked incredulously. "You have one royally fucked up idea of fun, Miz."

"So Miz has been told," the new boy said, nodding bouncily. "Now, you will come to breakfast? Let me make it up to my Dib-thing."

"I-I'm not 'your' Dib!" Professor Membrane's son snapped, flustered now that he had noticed the phrase Miz had undoubtedly been using all along. "And I _don't _want a repeat of last night!"

"It shall not be such a repeat," Miz replied flippantly. "Come, Diblet! We have waffles galore waiting at Miz's house!"

Dib stiffened as that sunk in. "We're going back to _your _house?"

"Of course!" was the thoughtless reply, and Dib stared at his companion's receding form, left to either follow or walk away. And finally, gritting his teeth and groaning in frustration, he gave chase.

"Wait up, you jerk!"

... ... ...

Miz's house was unassuming- thinner and slightly taller than its neighbors, sure, and looking as though it had been placed there unnaturally, but normally structured and painted a soft grey that was almost lavender. A collection of gnomes stood guard on the lawn, and that oddly round-topped car sat in the driveway.

"Watch for Sarge when we enter," Miz warned, though Dib didn't comprehend the words until a possessed ball of black and white fuzz came flying at him. It nearly bowled him off his feet and, as it was, it managed to secure a spot in his arms. The little dog stretched up, planting his paws on the boy's face and wagging his tiny tail so hard that it seemed it might fall off.

"Sarge!" Miz snapped, and immediately the dog hopped down and stood at attention. "Behave!" Though his tail was still beating incessantly at the floor, the dog seemed content to obey.

"We'll trained," Dib commented, and Miz scowled.

"Only 32.6 percent of the time..." he grumbled sourly. "Stupid glitches..."

Ignoring the odd wording that he was growing used to, Dib looked around his new classmate's house. Other than the genuinely creepy monkey decor, it looked normal enough- couch, tv, side tables, etc., with a kitchen/dining room off to the side. But then it occurred to Dib that something quite vital was, indeed, missing.

"Miz, does this house have a bedroom?"

The other boy nodded, though he didn't turn on his way to the kitchen. "In the basement. There are three down there, in fact, along with my study."

"Huh." Deciding not to question it or ask where, exactly, the stairs were hiding, Dib followed his host. He was surprised, however, when a different face poked out around the corner.

"Oh, you're back! Welcome ho-" Before the newcomer could finish his thought, Miz's foot smacked clean across his face, much to Dib's shock and horror. The mystery boy swooned for an instant, then dropped with a decided _thud_.

"This is my roommate, George," Miz said casually, as if the whole event were routine. "Please disregard him." Then he knelt, slapping the boy's soft-looking face several times by way of wake up call. "Oi! Wake up! Miz and George have a guest!"

The boy moaned, then slowly sat up, rubbing his cheek. "You're a jerk, Miz," he whimpered, but then rose and faced Dib. "Nice to meet you, Dib- I'm Miz's roommate, George. Sorry for the traumatic intro."

"Th-that's okay," Dib stammered, taking the hand that was offered to him. "I'm more worried about your _head _trauma!"

George only laughed. "It's okay- I'm used to it."

Now that he had the chance, Dib examined Miz's roommate- short, almost unnaturally so, and rather chubby, he wasn't fat in an unpleasant way, but instead looked rather cuddly. His hair was a dark honey color, short but wavy to the point of ringlets in some places. His eyes were a soft gray, seeming kind but oddly dangerous- tender but edgy.

"Ah! The waffles have already been prepared!" Miz called from further in the kitchen. "Come, my compan- not you, Sarge!"

Laughing softly, George turned and led the way into the kitchen, where the table was indeed littered with plates of waffles. "Watch the ones on the blue plates- they've got soap in 'em," George advised, and Dib's eyebrows arched. "We've got a couple of real experimental cooks in this crazy little house."

Deciding not to question it, the guest took his seat beside George and across from Miz- the new boy seemed more preoccupied with his own waffles and keeping his dog off the table than entertaining his guest, and so the conversation fell primarily to George.

"I heard your father is working on a new type of rocket fuel- from carrots, was it?"

Dib jumped. "I... well, yes! I'm impressed!"

George shrugged. "I like to keep up on events. However, if you'll forgive me my opinion..."

Miz's roommate turned out to be a surprisingly intelligent conversationalist- eloquent in his words and with well-formed ideas to bring to the proverbial table. Miz mostly watched, with alternating boredom and fascination, as the other two debated the fine points of nuclear fusion and rocket science and theoretical physics, most but not all within the context of space travel. They argued, for a time, about whether one could turn a whole planet into a sub-space vehicle- with Dib arguing for the possibility and George against. After that bored them, the conversation turned briefly to extraterrestrial life, and then notions of biospheres and colonizing places such as the moon. It became frighteningly obvious, when the conversation turned nuclear, that both Dib and George were more than equipped to destroy the world if the fancy struck them, but then they laughed _that _off as if the thought had never entered either of their minds- which was a blatant lie.

Hours ticked by within the strange little house, but Dib's absence was likely to go unnoticed. Miz was the one who prepared the trio lunch, a surprisingly elegant batch of crepes with various fillings- half of which, it seemed, were snuck to Sarge. Dib smiled when he noticed.

"Soft spot for the pup, Miz?"

An unexpected sadness enveloped the Miz, but his guest likely didn't notice that. "... Yes. He has been a... faithful companion these years."

"He's awfully cute," Dib commented warmly, scratching the dog's ears. "Still full of puppy-energy, too!"

"Mm..." was Miz's only reply, and then he turned back to his crepe making. "What would the Dib-thing like on his sweet-goo sandwiches?"

"Whatever is fine," the boy answered. "You seem to be making a bit of everything, anyway." As he watched, though, he started to notice a pattern. "Why all the veggies, Miz? You don't strike me as a veggie type."

"Our culture favors them over meat," the new boy explained, tasting a bubbling pink concoction that certainly didn't _look _vegetable-based. "George is completely vegetarian, though I am not. We have a small garden out back, for our culture also forbids the use of chemicals in food growing- last night was a treat for me that must not be repeated often."

Dib caught George's disapproving look and made a questioning sound. "What, shouldn't he be telling me?" he asked curiously.

"Talking is perfectly fine, but he should _not _have eaten with you last night," the chubby boy grumbled crossly, looking far too angry for comfort.

Dib, uncomfortable, turned back to Miz. "Where do you two come from? With the way you talk about 'your culture...'"

"Far away from here, Dib-thing; that is all you must know," Miz replied cryptically, and then brought over half a dozen plates of crepes, effectively ending the conversation with a brisk, "Lunch is served."

... ... ...

"Where were you today, son?"

Dib flinched at the question, startled by his father's sudden presence. But he didn't look up from where he lay, propped up on his elbows over a math textbook.

"At Skool," he replied, trying to sound cross. "Where else would I be?"

"Now son, that's not what Gaz says."

This time Dib's head _did _shoot up, and he was shocked to see his sister standing just behind their father. "You tattled?" he blurted furiously, and Gaz shrugged.

"We can't trust you- you know that."

Fuming, Dib sat up and glared up at his family. "I didn't feel like going to Skool," he spat. "I spent the day at a friend's house."

"Now son, we all know that you don't have any friends," his father said flippantly, likely unaware of how his words stung. "Where were you today?"

"I do so have a friend!" Dib spat furiously, standing and squaring his shoulders. "His name is Miz- he just moved into town!"

Professor Membrane groaned, covering his eyes with one hand. "Not again..."

"No, no, Dad!" Dib was frantic to correct his father's presumption. "Th-this is different! Ask Gaz! She should know that there's a new kid in my class- a _real _new kid!"

Gaz shrugged reluctantly. "Yeah... I guess I _did _see him talking to some _loser _kid I didn't recognize yesterday."

"See? _See_?" Dib demanded, pointing furiously at his sister but not taking his eyes from his father. "I'm not insane!"

"We don't know that for sure, son," was Professor Membrane's reply. "How can we?"

Dib grit his teeth, grinding out, "I guess you _can't_, for sure. But how about the benefit of the doubt for _once_, huh _Dad_?"

"You can't ask that of me, son," the elder sighed, by turned. "Don't skip Skool again. If you do, I'll be forced to give Dr. Bethlem a phone call."

"No!" his son cried, suddenly contrite. "D-don't! I-I won't ditch again, I swear! Please Dad, don't tell Bethlem about this!"

His father didn't respond, but left things as they were- Gaz, however, paused.

"This is for your own good, Dib," she said softly, a touch of menace in her voice. "We care about you, idiot. So don't think I won't be watching."

**(A/N) And the plot thickens. **

**Please review, it really makes my day! I'll give you a hint as to the next chapter, if you do. ^^ **

**(If anyone knows why I chose "Dr. Bethlem" without looking it up, you get a cookie. 8D My natural inclination, by the way, was to toss Dwicky in, but then it occurred to me that he's probably still off gallivanting through the galaxy with Dib's camcorder in hand. x'D) **


	3. Fissures

**(A/N) I'm so, so sorry for the insufferable wait. D': My life has just kind of… fallen apart lately. I won't bore you all with the details. But anyways, I stuck chapters 3 and 4 (both of which were a bit short) together to make up for it! A 5K update this time, guys! I hope it was worth the wait. ;v; **

**More George this time- I think he appears in this chapter more than any other. I actually had several people ask me who he was, which surprised me, but I'm afraid all I can tell you right now is that he's Miz's roommate. Sorry. :P Also, let's all extend a warm welcome to one more "new" character who appears in this chapter. ;) **

**My deepest gratitude goes out to Hazzybat, HalfBlackWolfDemon, Kyouningyou, Gillsandsundry, MentallyManic, oniwuufu, Flameear, and prettykitty473 for reviewing! Uwah, so many lovely reviews this chapter, you guys are the best! I feel absolutely terrible for making you wait this long, I'm so sorry! D':**

**I do not own Invader Zim, or any of the characters portrayed. ^^ **

"Good morning, my Diblet!"

The voice was no more surprising, the next morning, than his alarm clock would have been. "Go away, Miz," Dib grumbled, keeping his eyes tightly shut and rolling over.

The blankets were jerked away a moment later, and Dib yelped with shock at the sudden cold. Grasping uselessly for his stolen covers, he glared at his visitor.

"You jerk."

Miz stuck out his tongue, waving the blanket tauntingly. "Does my Dib want his blankie? Does he?"

With a snarl that was only half play, Dib lunged at the intruder and bowled him off his feet. The two boys rolled over and over, crashing first into the wall and then into Dib's desk, sending pencils clattering and papers fluttering, rocking but thankfully not toppling the computer monitor. When Dib finally got himself on top of the other boy, he seized his blanket and pulled hard, only to find that Miz had a very tight grip on the other side.

And that was when the door opened.

"Son, what in the name of Science are you-!"

Miz waved with his free hand from where he was trapped beneath Professor Membrane's son, chirping a jovial greeting.

It took Dib a moment to even formulate words but, when he did, he squeaked out, "Look, Dad! Flesh-and-blood new kid!" Miz jerked playfully at the blanket and Dib's attention snapped back to him with a furious hiss of, "Give that _back_!" and a tug of the blanket. But the fabric gave out before Miz did, ripping with an unbelievably loud sound and sending Dib toppling backwards with a shriek.

"Oops," the intruder said with a chuckle, looking altogether too amused.

"You jerk!" Dib squeaked indignantly, flailing in an attempt to get upright. Still clinging to the half-a-blanket, he tightened his fists.

"How did he get in?" Professor Membrane demanded. "I thought your security system-"

"He found the two inch _gap _in my security system," Dib growled furiously; Miz grinned, looking as if he were about to gloat, but was cut off before he could by a snap of, "Shut up!"

"... I told you you should have gotten that fixed," was Professor Membrane's only response, but then he shook his head. "Regardless, I won't have a strange boy in my son's room, much less when my son is in... his... pajamas..."

It didn't take a mind reader to tell where the protective father's mind had just gone.

"_Daaad_!"

"Quite right, father of my Dib. This situation is quite..."

"_Miiiiz_!"

"What?" the new boy asked with a grin. "How is your father to be certain that Miz did not even, say, spend the ni-"

"_Get out of my room_!"

"_Get out of my son's room_!"

Miz held up his hands. "Very well, very well... Miz shall leave. But Dib-thing, do not forget-"

"Out, get _out_!" Dib wailed.

Miz shrugged and, with an unnecessarily elaborate flip, exited through the window, tripping the still-activated alarm in the process.

And, with the shrill beeping as a backdrop, Dib was left to laugh nervously and attempt an explanation.

... ... ...

Dib skidded into his classrooms that morning breathless, breakfastless, and unamused. It did his mood no good that he _just _missed the late bell and, on top of that, was greeted by a classroom full of snickering students and one empty chair.

Miz patted the seat beside him.

Scowling furiously but unwilling to risk the teacher's anger, Dib slung his backpack off and sat down, unable to focus on the lesson being presented. He was vaguely aware, however, that something seemed to be missing.

"Miz, where's your backpack?" he whispered, suddenly hitting upon it. The boy's silhouette looked strange without the slight bump of his ever-present pack.

"Forgot it at home," Miz replied, looking admittedly nervous.

"... Didn't you say you needed it?" Dib ventured.

"For security, yes," the other replied with a nervous grin, "but not physically. I do not bodily require my backpack to live." Then he chuckled, as though the idea was as absurd as it should have been.

But something in the new boy's eyes made Dib irrationally unsure about that fact, and Miz wasn't nearly as talkative as usual during that class period. Occasionally his chest would heave alarmingly or his breath would hitch, but he waved it off as minor anxiety due to the lack of his pack.

The next class passed in a similar way with one glaring exception- though Miz made some attempts at jovial teasing, he fell dead asleep in the middle of class; in the middle of a sentence, for that matter. Dramatically unnerved, Dib was trying to decide whether to let him sleep or shake him awake when the door to the classroom crashed open.

"Is Miz Nekri in this class?!"

"George?" Dib stood, shocked to see Miz's roommate, huffing and puffing and visibly disheveled, standing in the doorway.

"Dib!" Head whipping around, George started to demand, "Where's-?!" but stopped short when he spotted his roommate and friend, still fast asleep despite the commotion. "Miz!"

"What in tarnation...?!" the teacher began, but George literally shoved past him as he hurried, faster than his body type seemed to allow, on his way to his friend.

"He has an anxiety disorder!" the stout boy explained shortly, pulling Miz's backpack out of his own. "Without his backpack he's prone to anxiety attacks and even fainting." Kneeling, he dragged Miz from his desk and smacked the boy across the face- Miz didn't respond. "Come on, you idiot! Wake up, wake up!"

Dib watched this play out in horror, unable to tear his eyes from Miz's limp form. "H-he... never let on... that it was this bad..." he choked out, and George fixed him with a furious glare.

"You should have _known_!" he spat, eyes alight with fear and rage. Then he turned back, leaving Dib to wonder blankly how he could be expected to know such things.

Miz stirred, immediately commanding both boys' attention. George wrestled his backpack into place, then slapped him again. "Miz, wake up!"

"Wake up..." Dib found himself whispering, his stomach in knots. "This is my fault... I _should _have known... don't leave me with that guilt... you jerk."

Miz's eyes fluttered slightly, then flickered open. George let out a tremendous sigh of relief, and Dib couldn't help but do the same. Slowly the new boy sat up, one hand to his head.

"... George...?" he asked, seeming irritated. "What... are you...?"

George shocked everyone- Dib, the teacher, and even Miz himself -by striking his roommate across the face again; not the soft smacking he had tried to wake him with, but a strike that made everyone wince and Miz's head snap to the side. By the time the new boy looked back up at his friend, a great red mark was already forming, and George's hand was trembling.

"You left without your backpack!" the stout boy yelled, sounding more like an irate parent- furious, on the brink of tears -than a peer. "You idiot, you could've died!"

"I could have lasted the day..." Miz muttered as he tried to push himself upright, but that earned him another violent smack, this one sending him crashing back to the ground.

"You had _fainted_, Miz!" George screamed. "How long before you would have gone into shock? 10 minutes, max? And then your blasted heart would have _stopped_!" He jabbed Miz in the chest to illustrate his point, and then continued, "It would have been _over_, Miz; you would be _dead_!" The new boy's face drained of color as his roommate continued. "We've known each other our whole lives, Miz- since we were younglings! I've always trusted you, always followed you _without question_, and you can't even listen to me when your own life is on the line? Where do you get off?!"

The new boy's face had slowly gone blank, then white as snow, as though he were realizing just how serious the situation was. "But... I was..."

"I don't care if you were making progress!" George shrieked. "Yes, you _should _be able to last a day without it now, but we had never _tested _that, not in a safe environment! Damnit Miz, you overestimate your own abilities, time and time again! And after all the effort I've put into keeping you alive, I can't protect you from your own stupidity!"

Dib's horror was palpable as he listened- Miz had been so close to dying, right next to him, and he wouldn't have known to do anything; he would have just let him slip away. Stumbling backwards, he slumped into a chair, abandoned by its student in the flurry of activity. George looked briefly at him, and then rounded on Miz once again.

"And just look what you've done to poor Dib," he yelled, gesturing wildly, "what you've put him through! Who are you to subject him to _this- _or, Fate forbid, to losing you?!"

Miz only stared, then looked away slowly. "You're making a-" he began to say softly, but George struck him a third time, sending him sprawling to the ground on his side.

"I'm making a scene?" he demanded. "_I'm_ making a _scene_?!" He laughed bitterly and then stood, hauling his friend up by the backpack. "I'm not making a scene, Miz- I'm saving your worthless _life_, is what I'm doing. And why I even bother, I don't know." With that he shoved his roommate away, hard in the chest, sending him staggering back into a pile of desks and then down onto his rear end. George spun, then, stalking from the room and leaving the whole class gaping after him.

It took a moment, but the frustrated, angry expression on Miz's face soon melted into one of earnest regret and concern. Struggling to his feet he staggered, obviously still off-balance and weak.

"George!"

And as Miz half-trotted, half-limped from the room, Dib found himself following.

"W-Wait up, Miz!"

... ... ...

George was in tears by the time Dib caught up, Miz hovering nervously a couple of feet away from his friend. Dib came up beside them, feeling as if he shouldn't be there and needed to be all at once.

"... Miz...?"

"How do I manage to make such a mess of things?" the boy asked unexpectedly- mournfully, and then approached his roommate slowly. George was facing the wall, tears streaming down his face and fists clenched on the wall, his forehead pressed to the smooth concrete. When he became aware of Miz's presence- or perhaps when he decided to acknowledge it -he turned.

"Miz, we need to talk," he said, his voice surprisingly devoid of tears. Then he added, "Alone," with a meaningful look at Dib. Uncomfortably, the boy dipped his head, and George added with a weary smile, "Please."

"Of course..." Dib replied softly, backing up. He just caught the beginning of George's angst-ridden cry, "I can't do this anymore...!" before he was respectfully out of earshot. But he didn't leave, and could still see the two friends clearly.

George half-flung himself at Miz, burying his face in the taller boy's chest and grabbing his shoulders, wailing something that was- rightfully so -unintelligible. Dib resisted the urge to sneak closer- he already felt bad about watching such a thing.

Miz seemed incredibly tired- he didn't push the other away, laying one hand on his friend's head and the other on his shoulder. He murmured something- Dib saw his lips barely move, and couldn't read them. 'Nor should I want to,' he reminded himself testily, trying to look away but finding himself unable to.

George was speaking again, an odd mix of imploring and angry. When Miz replied, he seemed calm enough- sad, but certain. George grew visibly more distressed and, after a moment, dropped to his knees and then lower, prostrating himself in front of his friend in a very uncomfortable way, as though he were bowing before a king or master. Miz, seeming distressed and flustered, knelt and tried to pull him upright, but George actively refused to rise, bracing himself against the floor and speaking rapidly, seeming to ramble almost incoherently.

At last Miz succeeded in bodily hauling his friend up, but George remained unmoving in his grasp. Scowling with frustration Miz let go, only to cry out in alarm and drop to his knees when the stout boy hit the ground, as limp as a rag doll.

Voice rising to an angry shout, Miz kicked his friend once, then twice; Dib winced, wondering if he should interfere, but a moment later George caught his roommate's foot and dragged him down. Miz hit the ground with a short cry and a _thud_, making their observer wince yet again. It wasn't over yet, though, as the taller boy threw himself at his roommate. George met him head on, and the two boys tumbled over and over across the hallway, crashing into the wall and knocking over a garbage bin before they finally came to rest, Miz screeching uselessly as he was pinned to the ground. His voice was, impossibly, loud enough for Dib to make out snatches of it.

"If I... weak from... pack... pay for this...!"

George answered unintelligibly, but he looked as though he might have agreed. But he didn't let the writhing boy up, wiping something- presumably blood -from the corner of his mouth and showing it to Miz. A few more mysterious words made the new boy go quiet- still rigid, but no longer struggling.

George continued to speak softly, seeming entirely calm now. Miz looked away, seeming disgusted by whatever his roommate was saying, but at the same time not arguing. Once George had stopped he asked something, quietly; George nodded. Again he asked, and again the other nodded. The third time Dib was fairly certain he asked to be let up, or perhaps said something to convince George to do just that, because the stout boy sat back and allowed Miz to sit up.

The conversation continued for a moment, mostly Miz speaking and George either nodding or shaking his head. The few times he shook his head Miz looked visibly distressed, almost baleful, but no argument broke out. And then Miz stood, offering his hand to George. His roommate accepted the gesture, allowing himself to he pulled up and then, surprisingly, into an embrace. Miz clapped his back, and then both boys took a step back, brushing themselves off. George turned and motioned to Dib; Miz froze when he saw the other boy, presumably unaware that he had been watching, if not listening.

"Thank you, Dib," George said with a tired smile, and then addressed Miz. "I'm going to head home- I've had enough excitement for the day. Are you coming or staying?"

Miz hesitated, and then turned to Dib. "Will you return with us to the base? Let Miz provide lunch by way of apology?"

Professor Membrane's warning crossed his son's mind, but that was all it did. Such things seemed unimportant at best after such a morning.

"Sure, Miz."

… … …

Dib spent far longer than he should have at Miz and George's house- he ended up staying, in fact, for diner. He was still hungry when he got home, though, as diner had been largely vegetarian and Dib was a growing, human boy. So, in addition to sneaking home through his bedroom window, he risked sneaking downstairs to the kitchen.

That was, of course, when the light flashed on.

"You ditched again today."

Dib winced at his sister's accusatory voice, spilling milk all over himself and the floor. Scowling, he wrung it out if his shirt.

"So what if I did? There was an emergency!"

"A 'saving the world' emergency?"

Dib froze, but not for long. "How _dare _you?!" he demanded, rounding on his sister. But Gaz merely put a finger to her lips.

"Don't wake Dad, you idiot," she said menacingly. "I haven't told him, but I might have to if he comes out here."

Dib blinked. "You... haven't...?"

Gaz sighed, taking a small step forward. "Dad won't have any problem sending you back there, Dib, but I don't want to see that happen. If it has to be, it has to be- I'll tell him if I think that's the case. But I don't think it is. Not yet."

Dib almost went weak with relief. "Thank you, Gaz...!"

It was too soon, however, for thanks, and Gaz's look said as much. "But I swear," she continued in a growl, "if you mutter so much as one word about aliens or saving the world, I'll know it _is _for the best- and _I'll_ make the phone call my_self_. Don't you dare think I won't, Dib." And with that she stalked off, vanishing back up the stairs without another word.

Dib stared after her for a moment, but then sighed and pushed her words from his mind. Turning to retrieve his second diner, he pulled out a half-eaten steak and a bowl of strawberries before slipping back upstairs. It seemed as though there would be no reprieve for him, though, because he walked in to find a visitor lying back casually on his bed.

A female visitor, no less.

"Hello, Dib."

Dib's jaw hit the ground. "Who are you?" he blurted, then tried to gather himself and failed miserably. The girl sat up in a leisurely manner, her classic beauty undeniable in each graceful line of her body- movement flowed like water down the delicate arc of her spine and all the way through her pointed toes. She wore scarcely anything at all to hide these supple curves and her soft, flawless skin- a cropped, purple-striped sweater that bared both her shoulders and midriff, a skin-tight pair of black leggings, and pliable boots that were hardly discernible from the sleek shape of her ankles and feet. She chuckled playfully, looking the owner of the bed she currently occupied up and down.

"What's with that look, Dib? I thought you swung the other way?" Then she laughed, a trilling sound like the chatter of demented angels. "Oh that's right, you're what you would call... bisexual, is that the term? You took a pass at me back in second grade- broke poor Gretchen's heart, though I doubt you even noticed _that_."

Dib's own heart had stopped, leaving his chest as cold and heavy as ice. _Only one person... could be... talking like this..._ He shook his head violently, stopping that dangerous train of thought with as much force as he could manage.

"Who are you?" he repeated, more steadily this time; he planted his feet more firmly, hoping that it would help to keep his voice even. The girl sighed dramatically, her violet eyes seeming to flash as she met his gaze.

"Such a weak-minded fool after all, Dib," she said, and then laughed again. She shook her head, navy locks brushing her shoulders as she looked down. "And here I swore you were better..."

Dib was shaking now, from head to toe. "You're a hallucination- you have to be..." he said in a shallow voice, unaware that he was beginning to hyperventilate.

The girl looked up again with those flashing eyes and then rose, approaching one slow step at a time until, at last, she stood inches from him. Half a head shorter than the boy, at least, she leaned up until their noses almost touched. Dib's breath came in ragged gasps, his whole body frozen by her proximity, his mind sent spinning by her wild, feral scent. And her eyes- almost hypnotic -held his gaze captive. They flashed again, sending an odd dizziness swirling through his head- shattering his thoughts.

The girl cocked her head in an almost questioning manner, although her manner was still casual and cold. She reached forward- plucked a strawberry from the bowl he held and bit into it slowly, coloring her lips red with the juice; swallowing slowly before inclining her head, watching him through her long lashes.

"Oh I'm very real, Dib," she said softly. "I'm as real as I ever was."

Then she was gone, her sudden absence leaving him as limp as a doll. As though his visitor had been holding him up, Dib slumped to the ground and then, perhaps more tired than he had realized, fell unconscious right there on his bedroom floor.

... ... ...

Dib woke the next morning, when his alarm went off, with a horrible pain in his back and a throbbing headache. He was, though, back in his own bed, and with the blankets tucked around him. In that moment, it was very easy to shrug off the girl's visit as a demented dream.

"You should not fall asleep on the ground, in the future."

Upon bolting upright, Dib's vision flooded with stars and he groaned, hardly able to make out Miz leaning against his door.

"Don't worry, I'll be gone before your family awakens," the other boy said with a devilish smirk. "Simply know that it was a hassle to get you into bed- and even a harder task to resist certain temptations."

Without allowing his host time to reply, Miz bounded up into the rafters with impossible speed, scrambling into the air vent that Dib decided he _needed _to block off, AC and heating he damned. Scrabbling out of bed, Professor Membrane's son hurried to get ready for Skool, throwing on his old black jacket, for it looked like it might rain, and shoving thoughts of his late night visitor from his mind.

_It couldn't have been her... because she... never...! _

Suddenly, halfway out the door with a piece of toast in his mouth, Dib pulled up short. _Maybe... she _did _exist...!'_

"Yeah... yeah!" he said aloud, something slipping into place. "She wasn't part of my hallucinations, at least not that _side _of her. Yeah... not the _human _side of her! Of course I imagined everything else, but there really was a human girl named Tak...! And she was in my bedroom last night! Miz is proof of it!

"But... she didn't need to be real for me to faint like that," he acknowledged reluctantly, "and finding me on the floor is really the only thing Miz can vouch for..."

Realizing belatedly that his attention had slipped to to the point where he had begun to speak out loud (an old, seemingly inescapable habit), Dib clamped his mouth shut. Sprinting off toward Skool, he was more than relieved to push the girl from his mind. Several blocks later, though- after he had slowed to a walk -a horrible realization hit him, stopping him in his tracks.

_Did I…? _

_No. _

_I didn't. I… forgot. _

_When was the last time...?! _

The Skool's late penalties he damned, Professor Membrane's son turned and raced back home, finding Gaz already gone to Skool and his father gone to work. Tearing the door open, he bolted up to his room, slipping on the stairs and coming away with a nasty skinning on one knee. Hissing with pain, he scrambled on all fours for a moment before bursting into his room, leaving the door hanging open as he skidded into his bathroom.

It was with shaking hands that he found the small orange vial, sitting down heavily and spreading a clean blue towel out on the floor. With frantic haste he dumped the whole bottle of little white pills out before him.

And then he began to count.

When the number of pills before him was revealed, he felt the color drain from his face. Disbelief surging through him, he recounted, and then recounted again. Yet Professor Membrane's son was infallible, and each time the same number came up.

"42... I should... only have 36... I've... missed _three days_...!"

In some ways, it was relieving- an explanation for the strange things that had been occurring, for the girl in his room that had obviously been a demented hallucination. Yet at the same time, it was horrifying, unthinkable, disastrous- after two years of taking them religiously, Miz's presence was enough to disrupt his routine this much; to threaten his sanity this much.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Tears in his eyes, the young boy began to gather up his little white lifelines, gasping softly. _If Dad notices... oh god, this is... I've let this get so out of HAND...!_

_If... I'm off my meds... if Tak's already been here, then it's only a matter of time before-!_

"Dib?"

The boy froze at the voice, so familiar and painful and wonderful- so exceptionally beautiful that he was tempted to throw himself headlong into the insanity so that he might listen to it forever. It was fearfully and hopefully that he looked over his shoulder, and he was both relieved and disappointed to find a familiar, _human _boy standing in the doorway.

"Miz." After a moment, both emotions gave way to an exhausted anger. "Miz, get out. You don't have any business in my house."

Not surprisingly, Miz didn't obey, walking briskly into the bathroom and crouching over the other boy's shoulder. When he saw the pills his eyes widened, and Dib's face heated with shame.

"What are those?" Miz's voice was surprisingly dangerous, inferring that he already knew exactly what they were. Dib, hiccuping with suppressed sobs and sitting, vulnerable, on his bathroom floor, stared up at the other boy.

"It's my medication," he choked out, and then groped around on the towel, desperate to make the thoughts ravaging his mind go away; to stop Miz from transforming into someone else, someone who didn't exist.

Miz moved in, however, before he could get ahold of one, kicking the towel and sending the whole lot skittering across the bathroom floor. He grabbed the other boy's arm and then punched him, hard, in the gut; Dib gagged softly, a little bit of sick dripping down his chin from the force of the hit.

"You bastard...!" Professor Membrane's son groaned, groping blindly for the little white things, his eyes closed against the tears that slipped down his cheeks. "Miz, I need those...!"

"The Dib needs no such thing!" Miz snapped, dragging him back and wiping the tears and vomit from the other boy's face with his sleeve.

"I need them, Miz...!" Dib wailed like a frightened child, trying to get free of his concerned friend's arms. "They're not illegal, I really do need them! The doctor said! Miz, without them I can't be sure what's real and what isn't! I can't be for sure that _you're _real right now! And that's terrifying, Miz, it's terrifying!"

Eyes softening with pity and distress, Miz reached down and retrieved the little bottle, reading the label carefully before picking up two of the little white pills and holding them out. The panicked boy gulped them down immediately, dry, taking a deep breath to calm himself and not quite succeeding.

"Thanks, Miz."

"..." Slowly letting Dib slip from his arms, Miz stood and stalked from the room, leaving his classmate to shakily gather the spilled pills. He paused briefly in the doorway, then shook his head and vanished around the corner. Dib, grateful, was in no hurry to follow.

Eventually, however- realizing that one could only hide in his bathroom for so long -Professor Membrane's son rose unsteadily, using the wall for partial support. It took him a few minutes to make it down the stairs, but by then the kitchen had been filled with the various scents of Miz's cooking- toast and eggs and bacon. When Dib appeared in the doorway, he didn't even turn from the stove.

"Human medication should not be taken on an empty stomach."

"I-I'm fine, Miz, really..." Dib began, but the other boy gave him no room for argument, turning briefly and sweeping out the kitchen chair with one foot.

"Sit."

Reluctantly Dib sat down, still uncertain of why the other boy was being so kind; it seemed to go against his nature. But a steaming plate of breakfast was set down in front of him before he could figure it out, Miz twirling a spatula deftly with a piece of bacon poking out of his mouth. He cocked his head expectantly, and Dib laughed.

"I promised George that I wouldn't let you eat bacon," he said and, before he could think it through, stood up and leaned dangerously close to Miz's face. He withdrew, a moment later, with the piece of bacon clamped between his own teeth.

Miz blinked, shocked for a moment, and then softened. "The Dib is cruel," he scoffed, then turned back to the stove. "Good thing I thought to make a second panful," he added, waving another slice of the breakfast meat over his shoulder.

"No fair!" Professor Membrane's son objected, getting up and lunging for his classmate. Still slightly unsteady on his feet, he missed as Miz spun away and turned, pinning him to the stovefront with one foot, pan of bacon in hand.

"Try to take Miz's bacon- see where it gets you!" he laughed, then withdrew his foot. No sooner had he, however, than Dib pushed off of the stove and flung himself at his surprised friend, sending them both flying in a shower of bacon slices.

"Haha!" Dib crowed, the trauma of the morning momentarily forgotten as he pinned his classmate to the kitchen floor, triumph rushing through him. "I win!"

"You wish, Dib-stink!" Bucking, Miz managed to flip their positions and send them tumbling across the floor in a gleeful mess of play-fighting. Blows were exchanged, but none too serious, and when at last Miz had subdued his companion, neither was anything worse than aching and short of breath.

"Victory!" the new boy crowed. "Victory for Miz!"

"Get off me, you jerk...!" Dib huffed with a laugh. "Fine, you win, just-"

"What is the _meaning _of this?!"

Dib tried to bolt up, but Miz was still on top of him and the whiplash snapped his head back, knocking it against the floor painfully. Groaning, he pushed desperately at his classmate, who belatedly let him up. Staggering, one hand to his head and both eyes tightly closed, he turned in the direction of the voice.

"I-I can explain, Dad...!"

Professor Membrane was staring around the kitchen in confused horror, his eyes practically bugging out of his goggles. Miz stood a moment later, looping one arm casually around Dib's shoulders and smirking.

"The Dib was complaining of missing breakfast this morning," he said easily, "and so Miz took it upon himself to kidnap him from Skool and make him a proper breakfast."

"Who are you to kidnap my son?!" the irate father demanded, spluttering.

"I am his friend," Miz declared, pulling Dib closer to him; the boy flushed unexpectedly at the protective contact, avoiding his father's gaze.

For a moment Professor Membrane maintained his stunned silence, then cleared his throat. "Well," he said bruskly, "you should both be at Skool, and I suspect you both know it." He shot a meaningful look at his son, who flinched back at the unspoken threat.

Well aware if the implications, Dib crammed a piece of bacon hurriedly into his mouth and grabbed Miz by the arm before saying, "Yes, Dad! We'll go right now!" Then he shot towards the door, only to lurch, off balance, and fall flat on his back when Miz didn't move an inch.

"Miz will decide when we go to Skool," the boy said, his voice dangerously low. "You, Professor, do not know what is best for my Dib."

Professor Membrane's eyes bugged again, and he took a step forward. "That's my _son _you're talking about!" he roared, but Miz didn't flinch.

"You do not know what is best for Dib," he repeated calmly, staring up at the larger man and casually reaching forward, plucking Professor Membrane's coffee cup right out of his hand and taking a sip. Then he leaned back on the table, waving said cup nonchalantly as he added, "Miz knows you mean well, foolish human, but at some point I must step in to stop you from doing more damage."

Dib's eyes were wide with horror; he belatedly darted forward and clapped one hand over Miz's huge mouth, wrapping the other arm around his classmate's neck. "He's just a bit impulsive, Dad! He didn't mean any of that!"

Miz, annoyed at being handled in such a way, bit the other boy's hand, and Dib's sentence ended with a yelp of pain. "I meant every word of it!" Miz managed to spit before his mouth was covered again.

Professor Membrane could only stare, his eyes flicking between his son and Miz, Dib and the stranger in his kitchen. Then, voice shaking with barely surprised anger, he said, "Get out of my house. Go to Skool, both of you. Son, we'll discuss this when you return this afternoon."

Nodding furiously, sick with dread, Dib managed to half-lead, half-wrestle his classmate out the door, closing it firmly as if to block out the morning's events. Miz huffed indignantly, straightening his shirt.

"We must deal with your parental unit one of these days, my Dib."

Hardly able to reply, Dib only said, "That's not the way to do it, Miz; that's certainly not the way."

**(A/N) I…. am super exhausted. *crawls off to die* But I really hope you liked the chapter! Please review- it means the world to me! Reviewers get hints as to the next chapter~ **

**NOTE: I'd just like to add a disclaimer here that I'm not anti-medication (for myself, yes; for other people, no). Dib's meds are cast in a very negative light in this story simply because everyone, including Miz, knows that they're doing more harm than good. Just… wanted to put that out there. **


	4. Imaginary

**(A/N) I blame… life. 'orz I'M SO SORRY. qAq I promise I'll get the next chapter up soon- good news is, I've got the rest of the fic entirely mapped out! Rough drafts and everything! So no more delays, I promise! **

**That being said, this chapter was… interesting to write. No two parts, it seems, were written at the same time, so I had to play seamstress and sew them all together. Not necessarily my favorite method of writing, but some things just work out that way. **

**Bombshell in this chapter. For those of you clever enough to catch it. ;) **

**One more thing- the "...lesson [Dib] had once been forced to take…" is a reference to my old oneshot "Follow the Leader?" ;3 I had a lot of fun revisiting it. **

**That said, I got a very interesting review last time that was unsigned, and I was really quite depressed that I couldn't reply to it. So heads up, I'm gonna include a "reply" in my ending (A/N) of this chapter. So as not to bore everyone who isn't that unsigned reviewer up here in the beginning… if you all haven't already just skipped this paragraph. GUEST, READ IT AND RESPOND TO MEEEEE. :U **

**On that note, a thousand thanks to ghst (I couldn't reply to you, but I thank you for the compliment and I swear, upon my honor, that this fic will be finished!), pacifistlove, blackywinks66, Guest, HalfBlackWolfDemon, prettykitty473, Flameear, Kyouningyou, and Hazzybat! QuQ Seriously, you guys have no idea how happy your reviews make me. **

What was left of Skool passed in a haze for poor Dib; all he could think about was when he would go home, face his father, and try to explain away Miz's inexcusable behavior. He tried to avoid the new boy as much as possible, ignoring his jovial chatting and somewhat underhanded teasing. But Dib had lost track of him by the end of the day, and so was quite suitably shocked when the new boy leaped out from the bushes, tackling him about a mile from his house.

"What th-?!" Dib didn't even have time to shout before a sack was thrown over his head and he was dragged disorientingly backwards. He squealed as thorns scraped him, aware only of the rustle of bushes all around them. When at last he had recovered enough to struggle, Miz had him totally off-balance and dizzy, so his thrashing was quite useless.

After some undefined amount of time, the bag was removed with a flourish, and Dib found himself- head spinning, stomach churning -in a part of town he had absolutely no knowledge of. He had driven through it upon occasion, of course, but it was far outside the area he was familiar with. Miz looked satisfied as Dib rounded on him, both knowing full well that Professor Membrane's son was quite thoroughly lost, stranded and at the mercy of his friend.

"..."

"Now you need not face an unpleasant homecoming!" Miz announced proudly, looking genuinely pleased with himself. "You were not looking forward to going back and confronting your parental unit, no?"

"Now it'll just be worse!" Dib burst out, throwing up his hands. "Miz, if I'm not home on time it'll be worse, so much worse!"

"Nonsense!" Miz scoffed, waving one hand. "Humans have notoriously short memories, and I am sure your parental until will soon forget about you-"

"No he won't, Miz!" Dib insisted, his voice rising in a distressed wail. "He never forgets _anything_! I know that better than anyone! He'll... he'll think that I'm... that I'm..." _... that I'm just begging to be sent back... _there_..._

Miz's smile faded as he saw the boy began to tremble, looking genuinely close to tears or a full blown panic attack, or perhaps both. Moving forward, he pushed his face into Dib's, but it wasn't an aggressive action; more tender and questioning, like a feline might.

"Miz is sorry if he has caused you trouble, Diblet."

Dib laughed softly, even as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. "Oh god, Miz..." he choked out, and then laughed again. "Dad can't... he can't make me suffer like this...! I've always… who the hell...?"

"We will go back, if you wish," Miz murmured, rubbing his cheek along Dib's. "I will come and take full responsibility before your father, if it will make this thing better."

But, to both of their surprises, Dib laughed harder and shook his head. "No... no, screw this. I'm not going anywhere! I don't need Dad's approval to live my life!" Then he backed up, smiling despite the tears still rolling down his cheeks. "I'm not gonna live in fear of him! Screw that, Miz! I want to be with you, so I'm gonna be with you!"

Miz's face brightened, his grin stretching and stretching until it seems it would tear his face in half. Then, laughing joyously, he surged forward and picked his friend up, surprisingly strong as he swept the other boy up into his arms and then spun, bridal style. Dib squeaked with shock but laughed as well, all too willing to cling to Miz's neck, placing complete trust in the boy he had met not even a week before.

"Where shall we go, my Diblet? Where shall be our escape from this world?"

"Anywhere! Miz, just take me anywhere!"

... ... ...

The two boys were still breathless by sundown, hardly a care in the world. The day was a haze of nothing but each other's company, and Dib felt as though a weight had been lifted off his heart itself. When the first raindrops fell from the cloud-dappled sky, Miz squawked with surprise, grabbing Dib and bundling them both into a small coffee shop.

The buzz of warm conversation enveloped them both as night fell outside, Dib cradling a black hazelnut coffee in both hands while Miz sipped casually on a concoction of mocha and caramel that was more dessert than drink. They didn't speak as they watched the rain fall outside, but Miz's hand did sneak across the table to rest lightly over Dib's and, after a moment of hesitation, Professor Membrane's son allowed it to remain. He had to admit that the contact of skin on skin was very comforting- it assured him that he was making the right decision; that Miz was real, and not simply another figment of his sick imagination.

Together they rose; not by any verbal communication, but by unspoken consensus, and walked out into the chilled, wet world. They stood for a long time outside that little cafe, gazing out from beneath the awning, and were both content to simply breathe in the crisp air and hold one another's hand. Dib was caught off guard, then, finding his companion's violet eyes a few inches from his. Touching the other boy's cheek softly with his free hand, Miz smiled- yes, it was the same sort of teasing, sadistic expression he was inclined towards, but it also dripped fondness, as obviously as the coffee shop awning was dripping rain. Dib stared back, opened-mouthed; unsure.

Laughing, Miz tightened his grip on his companion's hand and darted out into the street, carrying the startled boy with him. Spinning, the new boy spread his arms as the rain struck him- he laughed, pulling Dib halfway into an embrace and then shoving him playfully away. It was only a moment or two before the object of his teasing responded, beginning to chuckle and mimicking the strange dance that Miz had started- draw close, then push away. The rain had soon soaked them both to the skin, but neither seemed to care.

"Hey Miz!" Dib shouted, kicking at a puddle and sending a miniature wave crashing over his companion. Playfully outraged, Miz snarled and gave chase; Dib shrieked with delight as he was caught and wrestled into an embrace-turned-choke-hold, laughing as his breath was stolen by more than one thing.

He had, however, managed to run a few feet before he had been caught, leaving the two of them on a small side street and in front of an equally small club- a club which sent colorful lights and musical notes splashing out into the rain-drenched street. Miz herded the other boy towards it authoritatively and, as soon as they were inside the door, the music enveloped both weary, soaked boys. Dib felt himself begin to move unconsciously- the sway of the hips, the tap of the foot, remembering a lesson he had once been forced to take.

Miz recognized it instantly, grinning and offering his hand. For a moment Dib hesitated, and then put his hand tentatively into his companion's. As soon as permission was granted him, the new boy assumed a possessive posture, drawing his partner into a semi-formal position, automatically assuming the lead. Already the friction of skin-on-skin was starting to dry them, and neither particularly cared to go back out into the rain.

"Relax," Miz purred, feeling Dib stiffen with nerves and discomfort. Slowly the lead ran his hand up and down before settling firmly into the small of his follow's back, rocking him gently. "Come, dance with Miz."

As soon as the dazed boy given some mutter that _might _have been interpreted as affirmative, Miz swept him up; carried him away in a colorful series of complex turns and the such. Dib squeaked, but it was inaudible among the music, Miz having taken complete control of their movements. He wasn't especially gentle, though he wasn't violent- Dib had to struggle to keep up but, at the same time, had no power over his own body- that belonged to Miz alone.

Turning out and then in again, the strange boy led his partner across the floor in a series of increasingly untamable yet controlled maneuvers. They came perilously close to other dancers time and again; Dib knew that he had no capacity to avoid an impact, and yet Miz whisked them away each time. The follow was short of breath, desperately dizzy and exhilarated, with no choice but to trust that Miz would guide him; it was rare for the lead to release his follow's hand, but he did occasionally fling him out and into a free spin. During those times Dib could only trust that his partner would catch him- and he always did.

The new boy flipped his partner around in one last dizzying spin before pulling him close, so close that their breath mingled. His semi-formal position dissolved instantly, leaving them so that he held Dib tenderly and erotically all at once, cradling the flustered boy to his chest and keeping the rhythm alive in both their bodies.

"Miz... where'd you learn to...?" Dib asked breathily, still trying to quell his trembling.

"Do not question these things," Miz murmured into his partner's warm neck, hardly flustered. "Know simply that I do know."

"I... had forgotten..." Dib pulled up short, realizing that he had been about to admit how much he loved being led- and that no one had done so since... He swallowed hard, forcing that from his mind. Another shift in his lead's posture, though, made such thoughts impossible.

Moving in even closer, Miz nipped playfully at his ear; the boy bristled but couldn't move away, trapped by the crush of people all around them. The next thing he knew, though, his companion's lips were pressed to his, hard and commanding.

"M-Miz...!" he began to object desperately, but his muffled words soon became a moan as the new boy's oddly dexterous tongue slid into his mouth, coaxing his own out and toying with it delightfully.

Before Dib could even adjust his back hit a wall, Miz fixed in front of him with one hand pressed to his chest and the other to the wall, trapping him. The new boy's head cocked further to the left, deepening the kiss and forcing the last wisp of air from Dib's lungs. Professor Membrane's son moaned, drawing in a shuddering breath around his companion's tongue, but suddenly it wasn't Miz kissing him- it was someone else altogether, kissing him just as violently, just as possessively, just as euphorically.

"Zim!"

Miz drew back, licking his lips and grinning widely. "What is it, Diblet?"

But Dib was gasping loudly, his eyes wide with trauma and tinted with tears. "No! No, I can't do this! Miz, I can't do this!"

The new boy's face fell. "Dib?"

"I can't do this!" Dib choked again, one hand clapping over his mouth as the first sob emerged. "Miz, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I just can't, it's too much!"

"... You... cried out 'Zim,'" Miz said tentatively, then cleared his throat. "What does that mean, Dib?"

"I can't talk about it!" Dib wailed over the music, but found his shoulder seized authoritatively- violently.

"Who is this Zim?" his companion demanded. "Tell Miz! You will tell Miz immediately who this Zim is!"

Flinching, Dib choked out in a weak, trembling voice, "My imaginary friend..."

Miz drew back as though stung, but didn't release the boy; then his grip tightened, making the subject of his interrogation whimper with pain. "'Your imaginary friend?' What is the meaning of these words?"

Dib twisted in an attempt to get free, but soon gave up. Letting his head hang, he also let the words tumble from his lips. "When I was in second grade, I imagined that an alien joined our class- an alien bent on taking over the world. His name was Zim, and he wasn't real."

"'Wasn't real?'" Miz echoed, leaning forward.

"Wasn't real," Dib sighed. "I made him up- made him so _real _that... that he _was _real, to me. I wasn't... I wasn't all there, if you know what I mean. I... I spent three years in an insane asylum because... because of Zim."

Miz's expression softened with sadness. "And they convinced you that this... 'Zim' wasn't real?"

Dib nodded. "Yes- they _showed_ me that he wasn't real. And I've been trying hard to forget him... I really have, but...!" Choking, he hid his face as best he could; tried to conceal the tears leaking from his eyes. To his eternal surprise, he felt himself pulled into an embrace- pulled into Miz's arms and pressed to the strange boy's chest.

"Miz understands, my Dib."

"He was my only friend!" Dib wailed. "My only purpose, the only thing that made my life worth living! The only thing that kept me going when Dad would bash my love of the paranormal! And then to find out he wasn't real? To find out that _all of it_ wasn't real?! It tore me apart!" His voice dropped abruptly, and he spoke with sudden conviction. "But it was better to find out then to go on pretending- better to know the truth than waste my life on a lie."

Miz bent his head; pressed his forehead to the other's. "But... you loved this Zim, yes?"

Dib laughed breathlessly. "Yes. I mean, of course I loved him, more than anything. But he wasn't real."

"Why then do you not allow yourself to love what _is _real?" the new boy asked, drawing back and gazing into Dib's eyes. "Are you afraid that Miz is not real as well? That I will vanish again?"

Dib laughed again, weakly. "You remind me of him too much, Miz. It's all too much, even the way you kiss."

"Well, Miz is Miz," the new boy huffed. "I will not become something I am not."

"..." After a tearful moment, Dib began to laugh, knotting his hands in the other boy's shirt. "God, Miz... you sound so much like him... like... as if you were _trying _to..."

Miz purred softly, laughing too. "Perhaps I am here to pick up where Zim left off, did the Dib-human ever think of that?"

Leaning in, Dib pressed his lips to Miz's, startling the other boy and effectively answering his question. It took the new boy a moment, but then he grinned and returned the affections, leaning in and letting his tongue slide back into the boy's inviting mouth. After a moment, though, Miz drew back, lifting the other's chin gently and forcing their eyes to meet.

"Such dedication to your Zim is admirable, Diblet."

Dib laughed softly- bitterly. "You must be joking. Dedication? To a figment of my imagination?"

And Miz replied, "Yes. Most heroic."

Dib blushed, startled and embarrassed by the praise. "H-Heroic..."

"Yes, my Diblet," Miz crooned, kissing him sweetly once; twice. "And you have never forgotten this Zim, hmm? Never. I was afraid."

Dib shivered, turning his head up obediently as the new boy trailed kisses along his jawline. "'A... fraid...?'" he asked shakily, uncertainly.

"If you had forgotten Zim, how could I be certain you would not one day forget Tallest Miz?"

Dib's breath caught at the word, a chill racing up his spine and radiating out to his fingertips and toes. "'Tallest...' Miz...?"

Miz nodded thoughtlessly, continuing down the boy's neck for a moment before straightening, making a show of coming up to his full height. "Has the Dib not noticed? Miz is taller than you."

Dib scoffed, drawing his hand between their foreheads. "Maybe by half a centimeter, you jerk- if that. What difference does that make?"

"It makes _all _the difference in my culture," Miz sniffed crossly, leaning in until the other's back hit the wall. "And it means that Miz has dominance over the Dib."

Dib laughed, though secretly he was unnerved by the other boy's power-play. "You remind me of Zim," he said with a chuckle," too much for my sanity's sake, Miz."

Instead of answering, Miz leaned in and nuzzled him, seeming as though he was starving for the taste and scent of the boy. And he didn't speak again, burrowing his head into Dib's neck and kissing; nipping. The boy stiffened and squeaked; giggled as his face was tickled by the other's hair.

"M-Miz...!" he laughed, squirming and trying to get free, but Miz was having none of it; his thin arms were surprisingly strong, and Dib couldn't break his grip. But at the next kiss on his collarbone he moaned, unintentionally giving in. Miz chuckled with triumph, lavishing the boy under him with attention.

Eventually, however, the new boy drew back, taking Dib's hand and drawing Professor Membrane's son away. "Come, Dib-thing; your parental unit will worry."

Too dazed to reply, Dib simply nodded and followed, climbing into Miz's car at his command. The trip home was a blur of reckless driving and exhaustion- how had he not noticed he was so tired? By the time they pulled up in front of the Membrane residence, Miz had to coax him from the car and help him up his driveway, murmuring, "I forget how weak humans are."

"But _you're _human, Miz," Dib murmured sleepily, then yawned. "I fell for a human this time, right?"

And Miz sighed, leaving him at his door and turning his face away, gazing back down the sidewalk. "Yes, Dib-thing. I am a perfectly normal human worm baby."

**(A/N) Excuse my while my heart breaks for poor Miz. /3 **

… **Anybody noticed that the happier Dib is, the sadder it gets for Miz? I have. I swear I didn't mean to write it that way, ohgosh… ;n; (I did. I'm sorry, but I totally did. ;^;) **

**Please review! If you do, I'll give you a hint as to what's to come! And it only gets better from here on in… ;3 **

**NOW! Addressed to that previously mentioned unsigned reviewer: **

_Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying the fic! :'D I have quite a soft spot for him, too- he simply must make an appearance in most of my fics. x'3_

_Interesting theories you've got going on there! I wanna write that. The idea about Miz and Dib playing as kids. Either you need to write it or let me. GAAHH. *A* 'Cause that's not what's going on here, haha. Gaz is a very interesting point- I'm glad someone's picking up on that. It will be dealt with (partially, at least) in the next chapter, actually, so stay tuned. ;) I was really worried that people would see her as an oversight on my part, but I have something very interesting in mind… I'm looking forward to everyone's reactions. ^^ And yes, I meant for there to be a bunch of confusing evidence- I'm sorry (no, I'm really not, haha). x'D_

_I think that the Prof. really does care… in a weird way. :/ I can honestly see him neglecting Dib, but the abuse never really fit with his character in my head…_

_Anyway, thank you so much for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, will enjoy the next, and so on! =^^=_


	5. Sugar Pills

**(A/N) I almost couldn't wait for the proper editing to share this chapter with you guys! :'D A lot of people have been questioning Gaz, and I've been really worried that it might seem like an oversight on my part. But at the same time I'm please that you guys have noticed. ^^ **

**A million and one thanks to EProspit, HalfBlackWolfDemon, "A Person," Ultravioletlex, Hazzybat, prettykitty473, Strangeressesses, and Blueninja10101 for reviewing! **

**Also, let me just restate this here, because some people seem to have overlooked it the first time: this is POST-SERIES, NOT AU! Now, let the confusion resume. :D **

Dib tried hard to keep his back straight and his head high as he descended the stairs the next morning- somehow he knew that, unlike most mornings, they would all be having breakfast as a family.

He didn't miss his guess.

Professor Membrane stared at his son through tinted goggles, his eyes invisible behind them; Gaz's expression was just as unreadable, but the absence of her Game Slave XIII was as telling a sign as any. Trying hard to ignore them both, Dib pulled out his chair, taking the seat at the table that was owed him, automatically, as a member of the family.

The silence as unnerving as any words- almost any words, save for the ones that would send him back to his cozy little padded cell and Dr. Bethlem's crazed clutches. Still trying to act normal, Dib reached casually for the box of cereal- only to have his wrist seized abruptly and rather painfully.

"Ouch!" The exclamation was involuntary, and brought faded memories of handcuffs into startling definition. Eyes widening in a panic that was largely nostalgic, he twisted free of his father's grip.

"Ouch..." he repeated softly, glaring resentfully at his parental figure.

"We must talk, son."

"I couldn't have guessed!" Dib snapped, rubbing his wrist and trying to banish those particular memories. "So spit it out!"

"You never came home last night."

"No shit!" Dib snapped, and then bit his tongue. "Actually, I did get home around two," he corrected, making an effort to keep his tone level. "You were already asleep."

"I thought I had told you what the consequences would be if-"

"I stayed out late, Dad!" Dib cut in, desperate to keep his father from completing the thought. "I stayed out late to hang out with a real friend- with my boyfriend, for that matter! I was hanging out with a human boy- not a green-skinned alien bent on taking over the world! Surely that's a step in the right direction, not a reason to send me back... there!"

"I clearly stated, son, what would happen if-"

"You've met Miz!" the panicking boy cut in again, leaning across the table. "You have proof that he's real- the proof I could never give you about Zim!"

"Your little foreign friend was real as well!" Professor Membrane snapped, face reddening as the childhood hallucination was named. "I had coffee with him once, if you recall! Gaz knew him, as well! But that didn't stop your insane mind from twisting reality into something demented and dangerous!"

Dib winced at the painfully rational argument. "Miz isn't Zim!" he growled, and then his voice rose to a pained wail. "Miz isn't Zim! He's human, through and through! There's nothing fake or deluded about him, he's just a flesh-and-blood boy that I happen to be falling in love with, and you can't accept that! You think he's just another Zim, but he's not!"

"I worry only for your safety and sanity, Son!" Professor Membrane roared, bounding to his feet.

"You don't need to worry about that anymore, Dad!" Dib cried. "I won't be tricked, I won't! My mind and my heart are mine- under MY control, and no one else's!"

"I do not trust you!" the father said firmly, his eyes narrowing behind his goggles. "I may never trust you again!"

"If you can't trust your own son, then you're more fucked in the head that you claim I am!" the son screamed back, bolting from his chair and racing for the door, tears in his eyes. No sooner had he slammed the front door, though, than his wrist was seized once again. Instinctually he lashed out, but his sister dodged expertly and sent his fist into the concrete wall with all the force of his rage and despair.

"Dib."

"Let go of me! Let go!" Dib wailed, but his sister did not obey. Instead she pulled him closer with surprising strength, until they were nose-to-nose. Snarling like a trapped animal, Dib tried futilely to pull away.

"I know you aren't insane, Dib."

That brought the writhing boy up short, although it didn't stop the hot tears flowing down his face. "What?"

"You've forgotten that I saw Zim without his disguise- several times; I was down in his base with you; I flew Tak's spaceship. Or perhaps you haven't forgotten, you just think that it was all a part of your hallucinations. Well it wasn't, Dib, it just wasn't."

Her brother had stopped struggling completely, limp and wide-eyed as that sunk in. "What... are you saying, Gaz?"

But his sister was done talking, releasing his hand and groping in her pocket. After a moment she pulled out a small plastic bag, filled to bursting with tiny white pills.

"All I want is peace in this family," Dib's sister growled, but there was also a pleading tone to it. "Everything I've done has been to that end, and now you're threatening all of it. For the sake of that peace, keep taking your sugar pills and just shut up about Miz and Zim _both_. Or I _will _make sure you're sent back there- for the good of everyone involved."

... ... ...

Dib couldn't concentrate on his lessons; he couldn't even concentrate on Miz, despite his friend's worried chatter and affectionate nudges (and, when that got no response, his none-too-gentle pokes and prods).

But Dib's mind was fixed firmly on the events of that morning. _Peace in the house... and spending time with Dad were always important to her... even more important than her games._

"_I know you aren't insane."_

He hadn't forgotten the role his sister had played in his delusions, but he had always assumed that they were just another part of his demented imagination. _But... what she said this morning... that couldn't have been a hallucination, because I'm on... my meds?_

_... Sugar... pills?_

"H-hey, Dib!"

The unexpected, cheerful voice broke into Dib's revery, and he looked up. An eager-faced boy stood before him, one of the few of his classmates he had semi-regular contact with. He smiled tiredly, and the boy's expression brightened further in response.

"What's up, Keef?"

"W-well, the teacher said to get into groups, so I was wondering if I could be in yours!" the redhead chirped, and Dib felt some of the tension leave him at the sheer normalcy of the request.

"Sure, of course," he said, blind to how Miz stiffened beside him. "Miz and I'd be happy to have you."

Keef glanced in surprise at the new boy. "'Miz?'" he echoed, and the named boy bristled. "I don't think we've met. My name's Keef!"

"So I've heard," Miz muttered edgily, to Dib's surprise. "I am called Miz."

Keef ignored the tension and plopped down in a chair across from the two other boys, all smiles. "So, did you read the chapter, Dib?"

If the truth was to be told, Dib hadn't read the chapter (little wonder he had all but forgotten about Skool entirely). But he knew the content well enough, and easily played as though he had. But his mind wasn't on the worksheet; now that he had been clued in on it, all he could pay attention to was Miz and his very strange behavior. He was as tense as Dib had ever seen him, and absolutely fixated on their little red-haired classmate. In addition, Dib was sure he wasn't imagining the thin sheen of sweat on his friend's skin, or the ghosts of memory and emotion flickering in his gaze.

"How are your eyes?"

The question was so abrupt that even Dib- mid sentence -jumped. Keef looked up in surprise and Dib noticed, for the first time, that his eyes did look very odd indeed, though he couldn't put his finger on exactly how.

"Oh! Um..." Keef seemed to know what the new boy was talking about, but uncertain as to how to answer. "I... I guess they're... do I know you?"

Miz didn't flinch at the question; prepared for it. "Miz was your roommate in the hospital, when you were dealing with your eyes. I was discharged before you, though, so I never found out if they were... fixed."

Dib watched in fascination as Keef's confusion cleared, his bright smile returning. "Oh! Yeah, yeah, they were fixed! It took them a while to find a pair that wouldn't fall out, but yeah! I can see just fine now! And what about you? I couldn't really see in the hospital, so I don't even remember what you were in for! Are you okay now?"

"Miz was in for these," the boy said, motioning to the wrappings that were always swathed around his neck. "And yes- there are only scars remaining, now."

"Why do you still wear bandages, then?" Keef asked curiously, the exact question Dib had been asking silently.

Miz chuckled softly, surprising both his listeners by loosening the aforementioned bandages. "So as not to scare all the humans. But you, as much as any, should see."

Dib watched in astonishment- trying not to be hurt that Miz was unwrapping his neck for Keef specifically, and not for him -as the cloth fell away. His breath staled as the last one fluttered down, horror and shock threatening to knock him from his chair. Keef's reaction was more controlled, but the same emotions were reflected in his eyes.

Crisscrossing Miz's thin neck were deep lacerations- so many, in fact, that it was somewhat impossible to distinguish any one, individual wound among the clutter. It was true that they were only scars, but that did little to lessen the lurid impact of the sight. Deep; angry; red, they sliced past his jugular and vocal cords, etching a path over the trachea. It seemed impossible that anyone could suffer such injuries without permanent damage or even death, but Miz sat before them as alive as anything, smirking.

"Parental abuses," he said, smiling, and Keef nodded.

"I know how that feels."

"So you see, Miz was callous before, about your eyes," the new boy continued, moving to wrap up his shredded neck once more as he spoke, "thinking it was nothing. I have felt guilt about this, wondering if your eyes were ever remedied. I wish to express my apologies."

"Oh... sure, Miz, I don't hold grudges!" The cheerful absolution was accompanied by a bright smile, and Dib felt his classmate's breath hitch beside him. "I never held anything against you. I'm glad it worked out for both of us!"

Miz looked down, shaking his head slowly and Dib, next to him, saw two crystalline tears drip onto his lap. "You... humans... all of you... so foolishly forgiving... Miz is not deserving of your company."

... ... ...

The remainder of the class passed uneventfully, and Dib was left to try to balance all the thoughts in his overburdened mind. His new window into Miz's past wasn't the least of his concerns, but he could hardly allow it to usurp the trouble he was facing at home. Miz easily picked up on his unrest, and so cornered him at the end of the school day.

"What is the matter with my Dib?" he demanded softly, moving in close to brush his lips against the other's nose. "Tell Miz."

"I've just got a lot to think about..." Professor Membrane's son answered wearily, unconsciously turning his head up so that Miz could reach his neck. "I got into a horrible fight with Dad this morning... about you. Then Gaz made things... so much worse..."

"Hmm..." Miz crooned soothingly, nodding. "Come back to Miz's house?"

"Yeah..."

The pair walked in relative silence, but Miz kept a tight grip on the other boy's hand, which had begun to tremble slightly.

"Hello, Dib!" George called cheerfully, when they entered. Sarge bounced up moments later, hopping excitedly around his master and his master's guest, tail wagging furiously.

"Hi, George; Sarge." Dib found it hard to be depressed around such friendly faces, and felt a hesitant smile dragged from him.

"Settle, Sarge," Miz muttered, and nodded to his roommate. "The Dib is welcome to stay here as long as he wishes," he added to his guest, and Dib nodded gratefully.

"Thanks, Miz."

... ... ...

Dib stayed at Miz's house until long after the sun had gone down; he wanted to make sure that his family would be soundly asleep by the time he got home. Then he bid the two roommates farewell, thanking George for diner and kissing Miz sweetly, and set out. He found himself staring up at his own front door far too quickly and, on a whim, forewent the door but instead climbed quickly to the roof, settling onto the cool stone with a shiver. And then he gazed up; stared up at the stars, something he had neglected to do for far too long, for fear of the memories they would dredge up.

Dib sighed heavily, hugging his knees to his chest to ward off the cold. He didn't glance up at the soft rustle beside him; a moment later, he became vaguely aware of a gentle heat rolling off of his new companion, banishing the chill.

"Dad really thinks I've gone crazy again," he said quietly, then chuckled. "I'm not so sure that I haven't."

The boy beside him gave a soft murmur of sympathy, but otherwise didn't speak. Sighing, Dib let himself shift sideways until their shoulders touched, and then leaned gratefully into his companion's side.

"What are we gonna do, Miz?"

Miz didn't respond right away, but reached over to loop his arm around the other's shoulders. "... What would you like to do?" he asked eventually. "We could leave this place, if the Dib wishes."

Dib laughed quietly, nuzzling closer. "Where would we go, Miz? Tell me."

_"We could leave this horrible place, if my Dib-thing wishes to. Zim would take care of you."_

"_Where would we go, ? Tell me." _

Miz shifted, breaking unobtrusively into- perhaps merging with -the memory. "Wherever the Dib wishes," he said. "Even..." he chuckled, using his free hand to gesture upwards, "the stars...!"

Dib shivered slightly, although he was past being surprised by such uncanny similarities. "... I wish..." he began quietly, but then bit his lip. Miz glanced down at him, his expression one of tenderness and sympathy.

"You wish that Zim were here?"

Dib choked softly, then nodded. "I'm sorry, Miz... I... I _want _to give myself over to you, my heart... but..."

"Miz understands," his companion interrupted with a soft purr, burying his face in Dib's hair. "Miz has no need to be jealous of this Zim- in fact, your devotion to him comforts me."

Dib laughed quietly, then closed his eyes tightly against the tears that were coming too quickly to stop. "I always thought he'd come back...!" he choked out, clutching at his companion like a child. "I always though... he promised, Miz, he promised! And then... and then he had the nerve to be... to be... not... _not real_...!" He sniffed, laughing softly again. "That jerk... that _jerk_...!"

Miz tightened his grip, holding the sobbing boy tightly. Tears fell from his own eyes, but they were completely silent and went unnoticed. All pretenses fell away as he wept, and he breathed the crisp night air, wishing it could be so. For a moment- just a moment, for that was all he allowed himself -he was not the all-powerful being, impervious to sadness, that he was fond of playing.

He was only himself, as he held his Dib beneath the stars.

... ... ...

Dib slipped back into his room that night, tear-sore and aching with dread, but still warmed by Miz's arms. Looking around, he pulled the ever-present trinket from his pocket and stared at it, sitting down heavily on his bed. Then he bent his head, burying his face in his lap, trying to think rationally.

_What's... keeping me here...?_

_Zim offered, so long ago... to take me away from here. And I was ready to go._

_And now... Miz is offering me the same thing. For _real _this time. _

Coming to a decision, Dib rose and slid down the stairs' banister, leaving the trinket on his nightstand. He paused to glance around the darkened house but, as expected, his family was long-asleep, and so he stole quickly to the phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hello?"

"George, hi!" Running a nervous hand through his hair, Dib leaned against the table. "Has Miz gotten home yet?"

"Dib!" The chubby boy sounded surprised and flustered, and there was a clatter in the background. "I-I thought you might be him for a moment! No, he's not home yet."

Dib's disappointment only lasted for a moment; his friend had, after all, left only a few moments before. "Maybe I can catch him, then!" he realized excitedly, then slammed down the phone with a hasty, "Thanks, George!"

Unbeknownst to him, however, Miz's roommate was screaming an objection into the deaf receiver.

Tearing out his front door, Dib looked around. Unable to spot his classmate, he took off in the direction of Miz's house- a path that was ingrained in his memory. He sped up when, on the horizon, he saw a figure... but slowed again when he made out a _second_.

One silhouette was definitely Miz- he would recognize the boy's figure and impeccable posture anywhere. The other, however, was unmistakably female- shorter and far more shapely, standing on her tiptoes to reach even close to Miz's height.

And their conversation did not appear a friendly one.

Dib's first instinct was to rush to his friend's aid, but some vague feeling warned him off of that course of action. So instead he found himself slinking closer, keeping to the bushes, trying to get within eavesdropping range. The moonlight glinted off of the girl's purple hair, making it impossible for the poor boy to deny his worst fear- and this time, he was _on _his meds.

_Sugar... pills._

The girl stretched up farther, jabbing a finger into Miz's chest; the boy seemed unaffected, brushing her hand away. The girl flinched back, and then surged up again.

"... don't deserve it!" Her voice reached such a pitch that Dib could make it out, even as he continued to slink closer. "You don't deserve it, you _don't_! You of all people...! How could this happen?! I won't sit by and watch this happen!"

Miz's voice was stern as he replied, and Dib came within earshot just in time to catch the end of his statement. "... inflict harm on me or those I hold dear, Tak."

Dib felt a shiver race up his spine, but didn't have time to contemplate her now-confirmed identity as she began to speak again.

"'Those you hold dear?'" she spat derisively, taking a step forward and shoving him hard in the chest. "Don't make me _laugh_!"

"It is not my intention to make you laugh, Tak." Miz's face was stony as he reclaimed that step; he towered over the girl, who suddenly looked fragile standing in his shadow. "It is my intention to make an impression- to convey my convictions."

The girl bristled, her rage visibly building until, with a sudden forward surge, she brought her hand flying across his face. Miz's head snapped to the side and, when he looked up, his face glittered with the wetness of blood, dyed not red but a pale, silvery-blue in the moonlight.

At that sight, Dib couldn't hold back any longer. He crashed out of his hiding place in the bushes with a cry of, "Miz!" staggering as he wrenched himself free of a trailing branch.

Both parties looked up, shocked by the boy's sudden appearance, and Miz's hand flew to his cheek. A wicked grin split the girl's face, and she set her hands authoritatively on her hips.

"Well, if it isn't our little human friend, Dib," she purred, and then glanced at Miz. "Did you forget to latch your little pet's kennel tonight, my Tallest?"

Miz's eyes were huge in the moonlight, fixed on his classmate. "Go home, Dib," he said softly, his voice trembling with earnest terror. "Please."

The tone in Miz's voice made Dib's bones turn cold and brittle, but something in Miz's eyes made him nod. "O-okay, Miz. B-but I want an explanation for this...!"

Miz's shoulders sagged with relief. "I promise you one, my Diblet. But go now."

"Leaving so soon?" the girl said with a pout. "Aw, but we'll be lonely, won't we... _Miz_?" She purred the boy's name as if it meant more than it might appear, batting long lashes in his direction.

Miz stiffened, his calm demeanor evaporating. "Stay out of this!" he spat, and then grabbed the girl's hair. She shrieked with shock and indignation, but he didn't spare her a glance. "Dib, run! Run home, now! Before something regrettable happens!"

Shaking uncontrollably, the poor boy took first one step back, and then another. But he couldn't bring himself to run, transfixed by the girl, thrashing like a demon, in Miz's brutal grasp.

"_Run!_"

Miz's scream snapped him to attention, and he spun on his heal, bolting for home as he had been instructed. And he didn't stop when he was out of sight, nor when he burst through his front door, leaving it hanging wide open in his panic. He only came to a halt when, half incoherent with adrenaline, he dove beneath his blankets and buried his face beneath his pillow, unable to process what he had just seen and so spinning into a confused unconsciousness.

**(A/N) Poor Dib. He's had a stressful day. ;n; **

**Reviews are always loved! I'll give you a hint about the next chapter if you leave one~ **


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